On March 21, 2016, the WBO Championship Committee advised the parties representing Austin Trout and Liam Smith that they had 30 days to negotiate an agreement for the WBO Jr. Middleweight Championship bout. It has come to our attention that despite an offer being on the table, no answer has been given to Queensberry Promotions. Furthermore, it has been announced on the news that on May 21st 2016, Austin Trout will face Jermall Charlo for the IBF title.

Please be advised that you have forty-eight (48) hours or until Sunday, April 24th at 4:00 PM AST to inform the WBO if in fact Mr. Trout is fighting for the IBF title. If in the stipulated time frame we do not receive an answer, we will assume that Mr. Trout’s is not interested in fighting for the WBO title. At that point, the WBO Championship Committee will proceed in accordance to the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.

Please be advised the parties have 30 days to negotiate an agreement for the WBO Jr. Middleweight Championship bout between Liam Smith and Austin Trout. If an accord is not reached within the time frame, a Purse Bid will be ordered.

The WBO World Championship Committee orders you to show cause as to why the WBO Junior Middleweight Championship of the World, currently held by Demetrius Andrade, should not be declared vacant. As you know, Section 1 (b) (7) of the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests establishes that it is within the power and discretion of the WBO World Championship Committee “[t]o recommend to the President and the Executive Committee that a title should be vacated if a Champion fails to comply with the WBO World Championship Rules.” On the other hand per Section 5 (c) of said Regulations, “[t]he WBO World Championship Committee may, in its discretion, vacate a Champion’s title […] regardless of cause or fault if the Champion fails to defend his title within a nine (9) month period.”

Your fighter, Mr. Andrade, won the Vacant WBO Junior Middleweight title against Vanes Martirosyan at an event held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, on November 9, 2013 and has defended his belt only once— more than a year ago— on June 14, 2014 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York against Brian Rose.

On September 10, 2014, this WBO World Championship Committee ruled in your favor upon receiving a petition to allow Andrade to move up in weight and immediately vie for the Vacant WBO Middleweight Championship of the World against Matt Korobov, giving sides fifteen (15) days to reach an agreement. At the end of that negotiation period on September 25, 2014, it came to our knowledge that Mr. Andrade was interested in defending his Junior Middleweight title and, therefore, wanted to stay within his division and no longer compete for Middleweight title. Mr. Andrade was next scheduled to defend his belt against Jermell Charlo on December 13, 2014 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, but an agreement was never finalized and Andrade pulled out of the fight on November 17, 2014.

Then on January 23, 2015, we wrote to the both of you again advising that parties had thirty (30) days to negotiate an agreement for the WBO Junior Middleweight Championship bout between Mr. Andrade and Jermell Charlo and that a purse bid would be called if an accord was not reached within the time frame. WBO President Valcárcel subsequently received email correspondence from Mr. Pelullo on February 19, 2015 informing us that Charlo elected not to fight Andrade, but that Stephen Espinoza of Showtime was looking into Erislandy Lara as a challenger to Andrade for a date in April, but in any case no later than May.

On April 15, 2015 WBO President Valcárcel wrote to the both of you asking for confirmation of Mr. Andrade’s plans and informing that while the WBO was originally willing to allow a voluntary defense of the belt, the Junior Middleweight division could no longer be kept inactive and that a mandatory defense was in order. Mr. Pelullo promptly responded and advised that he was to meet with Mr. Andrade during that same week and that a June 29 date was set aside, potentially against Liam Smith. President Valcárcel again followed up with you on May 12, 2015 advising you of Section 20 of the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests— PROCEDURE WHEN A TITLE IS DECLARED VACANT— and requesting that you provide the WBO with contracts for the next Andrade bout within a period of forty-eight (48) hours.

As you can see from the above, the WBO has been more than lenient with Mr. Andrade, but he has clearly been inactive and the WBO must enforce its rules. For this reason please be advised that you have a period of ten (10) days upon receipt of this communication to show cause as to why Mr. Andrade has not defended his belt under the terms of the Championship Regulations. Failure to comply with this requirement will immediately result in the WBO Jr. Middleweight Title being declared vacant, without further hearing you.

WBO Jr. Middleweight Championship Bout was cancelled. Champ Zaurbek Baysangurov got injured in training and will not defend on July 6, 2013. As agreed on purse bid, If any fighter is injured, he’ll be replaced with first available contender and injured fighter will be kept as #1 on the rankings. If the Champion is injured, he will be #1. The winner must face mandatory challenger within 180 days from the date of the bout If this happens, promoters must renegotiate contract.